Professional athletes usually get pigeonholed into one lane, but Jenn Gardiner refuses to stay on the ice. The PWHL forward for the Vancouver Goldeneyes — an NCAA standout, drafted pro, and Olympic representative for Canada — has built a second identity as a genuine outdoor adventurer, and Explore Magazine's 'Live the Adventure' podcast (episode 58) devotes a full conversation to how she does it.
The through-line of the episode is balance. Gardiner's year revolves around hockey schedules, but the off-season belongs to British Columbia's trails, mountains and lakes. She's not a casual dabbler either: she logs serious time outside, documents it on Instagram, and has turned her platform into a nudge for fans — and notably for her own teammates, whom she drags out on hikes rather than letting them stay in recovery-mode hibernation.
For travellers, the interesting part is what her routine reveals about BC as an outdoors destination. This is a province where a professional athlete can finish a season and immediately have world-class alpine hiking, lake country and coastal routes within reach of Vancouver — no long-haul detours needed. Gardiner's picks lean into exactly the kind of accessible adventure most visitors want: day hikes, mountain time, water without the fuss.
The podcast also touches on the mindset side: how she set her sights on an Olympic and pro career and then actually built it, and how the same discipline applies to getting outdoors consistently. It's a light, motivating listen rather than a technical trail guide, and it's free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts and YouTube.
Why bother with an athlete interview on a travel site? Because it's a reminder that some of the best destination intel comes from locals who use the outdoors at a high level. If the mountains are good enough to be a pro hockey player's off-season reset, they're more than good enough for a two-week holiday.
